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The Amity Affliction – This Could Be Heartbreak EU/UK Tour

Roundhouse, London – December 6, 2016

Photography and Review: Billy Edmonds

Even though winter is definitely arriving in London, the queue that day was huge, for those who know the venue. Stretching well and truly beyond the Morrisons an hour before the doors opened, it was a good indication of the popularity of that night’s show. The line-up was a rather strange one featuring a huge mix of post-melodic metalcore, and ‘proper’ hardcore. I was quite interested to see just how this one played out, and as the doors opened, people were very keen to get away from the freezing cold outside.

Wage War
These guys are another new band on the metal scene, having stormed into the world of metal after releasing their debut album Blueprints last year, featuring the hit “Twenty One”. The room stays half empty during their show, which is a shame as they delivered a strong performance. Nevertheless, the singer’s call for a moshpit in the first few seconds of the set doesn’t stay unanswered which makes a great kick off to the evening.

It was really easy to see that many of the people in the venue were unfamiliar with Wage War, as there wasn’t too much movement in the room but that isn’t to say that these guys don’t deserve this spot.

They played an incredibly progressive set this evening. Within this line-up, I still strongly feel that Wage War should have been second or third on the lineup as they really fit the sound of Amity. Albeit they aren’t well known at the moment, by the looks on people’s faces they are going to gain a lot of attention from now on. You can definately expect big things from Wage War.

Stray From The Path
These guys seemed a little strange when I saw them added to the bill for this tour, as I really felt they did not fit well in the line up. Unfortunately this was reflected in the crowd’s engagement with the show. For anyone who doesn’t know SFTP, their music is strongly anti-government and they don’t shy back from saying what they feel. As they come onto the stage, it’s really evident exactly what they stand for. Straight away they call for more movement, which they don’t get, but being from a HC background this doesn’t put them off. The energy SFTP have is something to be really admired but there just didn’t seem to be that many fans of them in the crowd. I have seen these guys support many different bands and every time they have a great following, but sadly not tonight.

As the set continues the energy in the room slowly picks up, but not by an incredible amount. Something which really didn’t help the mood in the room was the fact that you could barely hear the singer, and the bass was far too loud. On the upper levels though, the sound was perfect.

Overall if you enjoy hardcore and have never seen SFTP, go and see this band; If you enjoy metalcore and not so much the anti-government vibe, stick to The Amity Affliction.

Northlane
Its been a little while since Northlane graced the UK’s stages. I was expecting them to be really excited to play this immense venue, but unfortunatly the energy from the band wasn’t too great, even though they appeared to have a lot of fans in the crowd. It seemed to me that a lot of people were still standing still and not really enjoying it. Again this could be down to the sound tonight, as it really wasn’t too great on the standing level of the show.

Throughout the entire show, only one continual circle pit opens. I feel this is the case because it seemed to be the same people inside the pit the whole time. It’s a real shame, as Northlane are normally one of the best metalcore live bands on the scene, but they really let their name and reputation down at the Roundhouse. The only song everyone seemed to know was their main hit “Quantum Flux”, also being the only song that appears to be really outstanding this evening as they put all of their effort into this. I hope for the boys in Northlane to bring more energy next time we see them embrace our stages.

The Amity Affliction
Finally, the band everyone was waiting for. This could well be the largest tour Amity have ever done, covering the entire UK and EU in one big tour as well as an upcoming American tour – the guys really have their work cut out for them. This immense project doesn’t seem to phase them down as from the second thee guys appeared on the stage, nearly everyone seemed to know their lyrics, which was quite amazing. When playing their second song “Open Letter”, they fired loads off lametta looking like fireworks, which hung down from the ceiling for the rest of the show.

The lighting tonight really added to their rather emotional melodies. As the night continues, not one person seems to be giving it a rest with nearly every single person in the room screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. The Amity Affliction have come a long way since their first studio album in 2004, and really deserve credits for how good they sound live. As I walk up the stairs after finishing the first 3 songs for the photoshoot, I notice that the sound is immediately much better. This could be put down to the architectural layout of the Roundhouse, but the sound tech should have realised this and adjusted the sound downstairs as I could barely hear any of the bands there.

Bassist Ahren Stringe is a great example of pure talent. His live vocal skills are really something to be admired, as he sounds exactly as he does on CD, proving that his voice doesn’t need auto tune. Overall, Amity completely smashed the Roundhouse that night. If you manage to see them on any of their upcoming tour dates, definitely do so. This tour is not to be missed!